Work delayed on Deerfield Road, but other projects continue

Gregory Trotter, Tribune reporter

Other regional roadwork projects are underway, but the major reconstruction of Deerfield Road has been pushed back to early 2016 from its originally scheduled start date of this spring, village officials said recently.

Improvements on the mile-long stretch of busy thoroughfare were delayed to 2015 last fall when village officials said more time was needed to obtain necessary easements.

IDOT will coordinate improvements to its three bridges over U.S. Route 41 in Highland Park to coincide with the other Deerfield Road work, Phillips said.

"It's the appropriate time," Phillips said. "We'd have more people concerned if we rebuilt the road and then have to come back later and rebuild the bridges."

Initially estimated to cost about $13.5 million, the updated project cost estimates haven't yet been determined, he said, but federal funding still is expected to cover the bulk of the costs.

In the more immediate future, this summer will be a relatively quiet road construction season as the village prepares for busier times ahead. The yearly street repair program, totaling about $1.4 million this summer, will focus on residential streets in Deerfield's southwest quadrant.

Work is slated to begin in July.

"It's a little smaller than what we've done in the past," Phillips said. "We have some bigger projects coming up in the next two years. Everyone's anticipating that and trying to keep it lean."

In Highland Park, work on the annual street repair programs is well underway, said Ramesh Kanapareddy, the city's public works director.

About $1.5 million initially was budgeted, he said, but the City Council approved additional funding after a brutal winter wrought havoc on the roads, bringing the total closer to $2 million.

In addition to those street repairs, there are also more extensive projects occurring, too, Kanapareddy said.

On Broadview Avenue, near Ravinia, the sanitary and stormwater sewers are being upgraded, he said. Then the road will be rebuilt. That project will cost about $963,000, he said.

City workers also will be installing a new water main on Briarwood Place, Kincaid Street and Judson Avenue, Kanapareddy said.

A new main, eight inches wide, will replace the four-inch main beneath ground on all three streets. That project will cost about $1.3 million, he said.

Add to all of that sidewalk improvements related to the city's bike plan, improvements on the Waverly Road bridge, and more routine projects like tree work and sewer lining, Kanapareddy said.

"It is a very busy summer," Kanapareddy said.

Drivers on Deerfield Road may be wondering about work that's already taking place. That would be North Shore Gas, which is replacing old gas mains and residential gas lines in preparation for the larger Deerfield Road project.

Though the work has caused more traffic congestion, some say the impact on business has been negligible.

"To be honest, I don't think it's had an effect on us," said Ana-Maria Gherghely, manager at Bobby's Deerfield.

As for the looming Deerfield Road project, a pending agreement to transfer the jurisdiction of the road to Lake County could further reduce the projected costs to Deerfield taxpayers, officials have said.

Andrew Lichterman, assistant to the village manager, said the village board would likely meet to discuss the project later this month.

Because the jurisdictional transfer hasn't yet been decided, the estimated costs to the village are unknown at this point, he said.

The project will rebuild Deerfield Road and replace underground utilities -- water mains, sewer and stormwater pipes -- from Ridge Road in Highland Park to Rosemary Terrace in Deerfield, officials have said.

Separately, an improvement of the sidewalk on the south side of the street is proposed as a pedestrian safety measure to be built at the same time.

While the scope of the project remains basically the same, and the work lies mostly in Deerfield, Kanapareddy said IDOT will be patching, repairing and re-decking its bridges at about the same time.

For next summer, Deerfield is planning water main upgrades in the Briarwood Vista neighborhood and could also address flooding issues in the North Trail subdivision, Phillips said. But those projects will be considered again as part of the village's budget process.